September 19 Game Notes: Tacoma Rainiers vs. Round Rock Express

TACOMA RAINIERS (79-67) vs. ROUND ROCK EXPRESS (70-74)
Thursday, September 19 • 7:05 PM • Cheney Stadium • Tacoma, WA
RHP Michael Mariot (9-7, 5.94) vs. RHP Peter Solomon (6-4, 6.27)

TONIGHT’S GAME: The Rainiers and Express will play game three of their six-game series tonight, with the series even at one game apiece. Tacoma will send Michael Mariot to the mound, set to make his 25th and final start of the year for the Rainiers. Mariot is 9-7 with a 5.94 ERA through 27 games, allowing 81 earned runs on 130 hits including 21 home runs. He has walked just 32 batters compared to 98 strikeouts in 122.2 innings pitched, set to face Round Rock for the second time this year. Opposite Mariot will be Peter Solomon toeing the rubber for the Express, entering tonight’s game with a 6-4 record and a 6.27 ERA. He has allowed 49 earned runs on 71 hits and 37 walks while striking out 66 batters in 70.1 innings, set to make his 11th start in his 22nd game of the year for Round Rock. Solomon faced the Rainiers once this season out of relief, walking two and striking out two in 2.0 innings back on June 15.

NOT TO BE: With their loss last night, Tacoma was eliminated from playoff contention. Reno also won their contest, pushing the Rainiers 5.5 games behind them in the second half with just four games left. With Las Vegas’ extra-inning defeat, the Aces punched their ticket to the Pacific Coast League playoffs, winning the second half. They will go on to face the Sugar Land Space Cowboys, winners of the first half, in a best-of-three series. Tacoma was six games behind the Space Cowboys for the first half playoff spot and are now 5.5 games out for the second half, entering play tonight with the second-best record overall but not good enough to earn a playoff bid.

SLOW THEM DOWN: Round Rock has come into this series and absolutely lit up the scoreboard, following 12 runs on Tuesday with 14 runs in last night’s game. Tacoma did enough to win the opener, scoring 14 runs of their own, but needs to slow down the Express if they expect to stay in this series. Round Rock has now scored 26 runs on 38 hits through the first two games, combining for nine doubles and five home runs over that stretch. Tacoma’s team ERA has gone from 5.11 to 5.16, rising in the month of September from 4.94 to 5.45 entering play tonight.

NEED SOME DEPTH: Tacoma’s starting pitchers have gone just 3.1 and 3.2 innings through the first two games, as the Rainiers have asked a lot from their bullpen. They used a season-high nine pitchers in the opener on Tuesday, following that with seven more arms in last night’s loss. Trevor Kelley and Kirby Snead pitched in both games, whereas the other 10 relievers each threw once. Tacoma could use a long start from Michael Mariot tonight to give their relievers a break.

RUN IT BACK: Tonight’s starter, Michael Mariot, is set to make his final start of the 2024 season, pitching in 27 games and 24 starts for the Rainiers so far this year. One of his better starts of the year came against this Round Rock team, throwing a one-hitter at Dell Diamond back on June 13. The right-hander didn’t allow a single run, throwing 5.1 scoreless inning. He gave up just one hit and no walks, striking out five in the outing. He was through three perfect innings before Dustin Harris singled to lead off the fourth, and didn’t allow another base runner.

ANOTHER TWO-BAGGER: Jake Slaughter checked in with his 25th double of the season last night, clubbing his 19th two-bagger with the Rainiers. It continued his hot stretch in the month of September, as he is hitting .373 (22-for-59) in 15 games this month, hitting safely in 13 of those contests. This month, he has scored eight runs with eight doubles and two home runs, driving in 18 runs. The infielder has taken eight walks while striking out 13 times, stealing two bases along the way. Slaughter enters tonight’s game having recorded at least one extra-base hit in three straight games and seven of his last 10.

AGAINST ROUND ROCK: Tacoma and Round Rock will play game three of their six-game series tonight and game nine of 12 overall between the two teams this season, with the Rainiers currently holding a 6-2 series lead. Tacoma took five-of-six from Round Rock at Dell Diamond back from June 11-16 but had their five-game hitting streak against the Express snapped with their loss last night. They enter play tonight with the series even at one game apiece, with the Rainiers leading the all-time series by 18 games, at 60-42.

SHORT HOPS: Nick Solak raised his average to .313 on the year, going 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double, a home run and two runs batted in last night…Jason Vosler recorded his 40th multi-hit game for Tacoma last night, checking in with 29 two-hit, 10 three-hit and one four-hit game this year; his 40 multi-hit efforts lead the Rainiers, 12 more than Samad Taylor with 28…the Rainiers didn’t steal a single base last night, still needing 10 to break the PCL modern-era record with just four games to play.